Tag: devices

Caleb, who is turning 7 December 9th, is obsessed with Pokemon. There is a great big Pokemon world, and Caleb is fully immersed within it. He loves memorizing the different Pokemon, their stats, special moves, and evolutions. Pokemon Go does not play on any of his current electronic devices, so we play on my phone (Samsung Galaxy 7). Sharing my cell phone with Caleb takes a great deal of trust, but I also hover over him so that I can stop any unwanted behavior (like the time he sent hundreds of dollars to a dog breeder because he wanted a puppy).

Caleb is definitely a homebody like his father. I, however, am the adventurous one. I mostly like to plan ahead, but I also like to fly by the seat of my pants. I can basically bribe Caleb into walking around with me with the promise of Pokemon Go stops, gyms, and battles. Today, for instance, we walked around downtown Farmington (our home city) for about an hour, but we broke up it into a bunch of small trips; we would stop and sit if we were trying to defeat a gym or catch a bunch of Pokemon in an area.

Pokemon Go also gives something for Caleb and I to connect over. We have many, many conversations about Pokemon; we talk about our favorite Pokemon and where we want to go to collect them. At night, we go through maps of areas around us that have plenty of Pokestops or rare Pokemon. We even watch the TV show together, watch the movies, read the books, wear the clothing, and pretty much buy any piece of crap that has a Pikachu on it. Seriously, Pikachu is like a god to these kids! He is powerful but sweet, nice, and totally adorable; it is a pretty irresistible package.

While playing Pokemon Go, Caleb practiced a bunch of other skills without realizing it. Just walking alone helps strengthen his core, but not only that, he is learning to take in the world with his eyes, not his hands. He walks with me nicely; he has to look both ways before crossing a street or driveway; he practices using his peripheral vision to alert him to activity around him; he is learning about instant gratification (catching a Pokemon) versus delayed gratification (powering up and evolving Pokemon); and he is learning how to follow rules when playing a game. Pokemon Go also helps with reaction time and eye-hand coordination – this is especially true when trying to catch Pokemon or fight in a gym.

I have mentioned before that the studies done on children spending time with electronics have very specific results. I have heard other parents and educators make blanket statements about for how long a child should be able to use an electronic device; the truth is that the electronic devices only interfere with learning when the child is playing during educational time. Playing on an electronic device during their free time is not going to affect their learning. That said, Caleb doesn’t exercise enough. Shoot, I don’t either. It is funny because we both have weak cores; my stomach muscles are totally separated from pregnancy and Caleb has been working on his core since he was 2. So, do I want Caleb sitting at home, playing on his computer all day? Heck no. But, if we can play AND exercise at the same time, then it is fun. For more information on learning through electronic devices, I suggest any articles or books by James Paul Gee.

I would really suggest Pokemon Go for all interested autistic children and adults. There are so many stats to memorize and cute characters with whom you can interact, so there really is something for everyone. And the only way to hatch the eggs you catch is to walk around. So, we are walking. And we are having a blast.